DORAL, Fla. — At last week’s Honda Classic, Rory McIlroy, speaking about his inconsistent putting, said he’s “almost accepted the fact that I’m probably going to be a streaky putter, which is fine.’’
“For me, putting, it’s a bit of a journey for me and trying to figure out, you know, how I’m thinking and what I’m feeling when I putt well and what I’m maybe feeling and thinking when I don’t putt so well,’’ he said. “There’s some putts I stand over that I know I’m going to hole. And there’s some putts I stand over that I just feel uncomfortable, and you know that you’re just not. So I think mostly it’s all mental for me.’’
In Wednesday’s practice round for this week’s WGC-Cadillac Championship at Trump Doral, McIlroy unveiled a new putting stroke that he’s putting into play beginning with Thursday’s opening round. He’s straying from the conventional putting stroke to a left-hand low approach.
“I feel like my left hand sort of controls my putting stroke and that’s the sort of lead hand for me, and I felt like over the past few weeks my right hand was becoming a little bit too dominant,’’ McIlroy said Wednesday. “I practiced over the weekend just with left below right and it felt really, really good. I’m going to give it a try this week and see where we go with it. But it felt really, really good. The roll of the ball is really good. The contact is much better, and it really just takes my right hand out of it.
“I felt like my right hand was becoming a little bit too active in the stroke. So this is a perfect way to sort of deactivate that, and I really just feel like I’m controlling the putting stroke with my left hand only.’’
McIlroy said he used this technique in his first year as a pro, in 2008, but always used it as a drill. He said the trigger that pushed him to switch back occurred last week at the Honda, where he missed the cut.
“I missed a couple of putts on Friday at Honda that I felt even before I made contact with the ball that my right hand had [made me] I miss it left,’’ he said. “So it was [like], ‘I need to do something here.’ ’’
Asked if he putts poorly in Thursday’s opening round whether he might be tempted to go back to the conventional way, McIlroy said he has no plans to abandon it quickly.
“I feel like it’s something I’m going to stick with regardless of what the outcome is [Thursday] or this week or next week,’’ he said. “I really do feel like it helps me put a stroke on it that I want to. It’s a great feeling. I feel like it gives my putting stroke a bit more of a better rhythm, as well, a better flow.
“Look, if it doesn’t work right from the get-go [Thursday], you’re not going to see me on Friday morning putting conventional again. It’s something I’m going to stick with for awhile.’’
Cannizzaro’s Call
Bubba Watson
He won his last start, in L.A., and is one of the longest hitters in the game, which gives him a big edge on the brutal Blue Monster, where he finished third last year and second in 2014.
Dustin Johnson
The defending champion, also a long bomber off the tee, finished fourth in 2014.
Adam Scott
If momentum means anything, his win at the Honda Classic last week might propel him to a second win in a row.
Rory McIlroy
He seems very motivated to shake off his missed cut last week. Has a T-9 in 2015 and a T-8 after a final-round 65 in 2013.
Billy Horschel
He has not fared well at Doral, but is a player who has a history of being streaky when good and he finished T-10 at Honda last week.